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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

My Budding Chef

Welcome to the November Carnival of Natural Parenting: Kids in the KitchenThis post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how kids get involved in cooking and feeding. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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at The Culinary Workshop

learning how to measure

I'm no cook and I am definitely happy (and lucky) that we have helpers where I live. I sent my 2 helpers to various cooking classes and they can now whip up an excellent paella, a complete japanese and korean dinner, thai meals and can follow various recipes by the book. But what makes me happier is they allow my little budding chef, N to work with them in the kitchen.N's interest in cooking and baking started over the summer when I enrolled her in baking classes at The Culinary Workshop with her cousin, J. This started her cooking and baking frenzy and since then she has made several dishes.From corn muffins to sugar cookies for her school snacks to the Thai dessert - Tub Tim Grob:

making corn muffins

measuring ingredients for the sugar cookies

making tub tim grob

More importantly, she's learned the importance of cleaning up!

helping the cook wash dishes - no automatic dishwashers here!

But nothing beats her favorite past time of cooking at her play kitchen

Or doing her cooking show!

I remember during my childhood that the kitchen was off limits as my mom feared that we would burn or hurt ourselves. Since N has shown an inclination for cooking/baking (she bakes apple pie for her dad!) I've decided to give her free reign (with adult supervision, of course) to make whatever she wants.

How about you? How much freedom do you give your kids in the kitchen?
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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:(This list will be live and updated by afternoon November 8 with all the carnival links.)

Baking & letting go — Cooking with kids can be a mess. Nadia at Red White & GREEN Mom is learning to relax, be patient, and have fun with the process.

Family feeding in Child of Mine — Lauren at Hobo Mama reviews Ellyn Satter's suggestions for appropriate feeding and points out where her family has problems following through.

learning to eat — Catherine at learner mummy reflects on little M's first adventures with food.

The Night My 7-Year-Old Made Dinner — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares how her 7-year-old daughter surprised everyone by turning what started as an idea to play restaurant into pulling off making supper for her family.

Cooking With a High-Needs Toddler — Sylvia at MaMammalia describes how Montessori-inspired activities and a bit of acceptance have helped her overcome hurdles in cooking while caring for a "high-needs" child.

Kids in the Kitchen – teaching healthy food choices — Brenna at Almost All The Truth shares her belief in the importance of getting kids into the kitchen using her favorite cookbook for kids to develop healthy food choices now and hopefully into the future.

Make Milk, Not War — Tamara at Tea for Three remembers the daily food fights as she struggled to feed a picky eater.

Kids in the Kitchen: 6 Tips Plus a Recipe — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings shares six tips for overcoming some of the the difficulties of cooking with multiple young sous chefs, and a recipe they all can agree on!

Cooking food to thrive rather than survive — Phoebe at Little Tinker Tales is trying to foster a lifetime of good food habits by teaching her children about the importance of avoiding junk, cooking healthy meals, and learning about the whole food process.

Evolution of a self-led eater — Sheila at A Gift Universe shares the story of how her son grew from nursing around the clock to eating everything in sight, without her having to push.

28 comments:

Wow so impressive! I do allow my kids in the kitchen to help, only when I'm the one cooking preparing something. But I'm a kill-joy mom, hahaha...so many restrictions and "rules". N looks so at ease in the kitchen! Galing! I think next time I will be less controlling na with kids and let them be.

Marion got a play kitchen for her birthday and she loves it. I would really want to get her to do actually cooking but I feel she's too young to be doing so (plus I still gotten over my fear of her hurting herself in the kitchen). I try to get her into spreading jam on bread and cutting up banana for now. Hopefully we can progress to something more fun and interesting soon. :D

Gael loves to cook and bake, I can't wait for him to prepare a whole meal for us. He has gone to The Culinary Workshop and it is a great start for kids interested in the kitchen. He and N should having a cooking date one day.

N looks like she's going to become a regular chef! Kieran is much more creative with his play food than he is when he cooks with me - he still has a hard time getting his hands dirty. But he is often interested in helping out, and I love sharing the time with him.

awesome! your little girl has the passion for cooking and baking. i've yet to allow my 4 y.o. to get really busy in the kitchen. she does help me set the table and mix a few ingredients. if circumstances permit, i'll enrol her in a cooking class too!

i think the cooking class gave her much confidence in being able to work on her own! i guess we were also lucky that the classes she enrolled in were quite small, giving the teacher-chef a chance to really focus on each child.

Hi Jenny! A fellow n@wie here. N looks like a junior master chef :) She'll be a future pastry chef! I also like her kitchen playset. We are looking one for my 3yo daughter as a birthday gift. Where were you able to buy it?

no. it is out of box. brand is wonderworld. there are other kitchens locally available - mother garden strawberry kitchen or voila or a local brand - http://oneplanetnoah.multiply.com/photos/album/86/Local_Handmade_Wooden_Toys_for_young_and_old_#photo=77.judy carries wonderworld voila and the local brand. mother garden, you can search in FB. happy shopping :)

Wondeful cooking show! I can't wait for my little girl to be that age so that she can take on more than pouring and stirring and truly understand that she is helping make dinner for the family! :) Your daughter is beautiful and adorable in that hat!

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